How to fix an iPhone 8 that suddenly keeps freezing and lagging after installing a new iOS update [Troubleshooting Guide]

Stuck or frozen screen, lags or sluggishness, sudden crashes and restarts are common symptoms of performance problems in mobile devices. Often times, these symptoms occur later or after a few months or years (maybe) of regular use. In short, these problems should instigate among other indicators of wear-and-tear. However, there are some instances when these problems occur earlier even on new powerful devices like the iPhone 8. This is possible when triggered by some factors like bugs, malicious software, and faulty updates.

Tackled in this post is a relevant issue on the iPhone 8 that keeps freezing and lagging after installing the latest update to iOS. If by any chance, you’re dealing with the same issue on the same iOS device and that you’re here because you need more inputs, then this post may be able to help you out. Read further to find out what options to try as potential solutions.

For owners who are looking for a solution to a different problem, drop by our troubleshooting page for we have already addressed some of the most common problems with this device. Browse through the page to find issues that are similar with yours and use the solutions we suggested. If they don’t work or if you need further assistance don’t hesitate to contact us by filling up our Android issues questionnaire.

First solution: Reboot/force restart your iPhone 8 (soft reset).

The simplest yet very effective solution to minor software issues in mobile devices is a soft reset or restart. This will dump all cached files including corrupted data that might have caused the iPhone system to become unstable or erratic. If your iPhone screen is responsive, then you can do the usual reboot or soft reset with these steps:

Press and hold the Side/Power button until the Slide to Power Off command appears.

Drag the slider to the right to turn your iPhone completely off.

After 30 seconds, press and hold the Power button until the Apple logo appears and then release.

If your iPhone screen is stuck or frozen, you will need to force restart your device. Here’s how:

Press and quickly release the Volume Up button.

Then press and quickly release the Volume Down button.

Finally, press and hold the Power/Side button until the Apple logo appears.

Both these restart methods won’t affect any data saved on the internal memory, so you don’t need to create backups. Allow your device to finish restarting then try to use it again. If the symptoms persist, then move on and try the next applicable solution.

Second solution: Install pending app updates.

These symptoms can be triggered by application errors. So you thought that your iPhone system is not working properly but actually certain apps are. This is possible especially when a new iOS version is installed. Some apps may no longer meet the minimum system requirements and therefore starts acting up. As resolution, check and installing pending app updates on your device. Here’s how:

Tap the App Store icon from the Home screen.

From the App Store main screen, tap the Updates icon at the bottom right. A list of apps with pending updates then shows up on the screen.

Tap the Update button next to an app to update individual applications.

Tap the Update All button on the upper right of the screen, to install all app updates at once.

Third solution: Check and manage internal memory.

While it may sound bizarre for your new iPhone to run out of storage space, there are some factors that could instantly use up internal memory space. Performance issues like freezing, system crashes and random restarts are often tied to insufficient memory on the phone hence, it wouldn’t hurt if you check the storage space of your device. Here’s how to view this info:

Tap Settings from the Home screen.

Tap General.

Tap iPhone storage. You should then see a screen containing the details of how much storage space is used of the total available.

If there’s the need to free up additional space, you can remove unused items from the device including unwanted apps, music, old messages, photos and videos.

Fourth solution: Reset all settings on your iPhone 8.

Some updates may tend to override your current settings, which may then yield to either good or bad outcomes. In that case, it’s possible that the new update automatically cleared your current settings and this somehow caused some conflicts. To clear this out, you can try to reset all settings on your iPhone to erase all current settings and restore the defaults. Afterwards, you can configure individual options and features according to your previous preferences, before the onset of the problem. Just follow these steps:

Open Settings from the Home screen.

Tap General.

Scroll to and tap Reset.

Select the option to Reset all settings. This will reset system settings, restoring the defaults without affecting your iPhone data.

Enter your device passcode, if prompted.

Then tap the option to confirm settings reset.

Wait until your phone is done resetting all settings and restarts by itself. After the restart, you can begin setting up and enabling necessary options and features that you want to use on your device.

Fifth solution: Restore your iPhone 8 in iTunes.

If the problem persists or your iPhone is still freezing and lagging after performing the previous workarounds, then you may have to consider resorting to an iOS restore. To get started, you will need to secure a computer with the latest iTunes software installed. Once you have the required equipment, connect your iPhone to the computer using the Lightning cable. Wait until your iPhone is recognized in iTunes and then you can proceed with an iOS restore either via recovery mode or DFU mode. You may start with a recovery mode restore and then see if that’s enough to fix the problem. If not, then that’s when you will resort to a DFU mode restore.

A more detailed walkthrough on how to perform a recovery mode restore and DFU mode restore on an iPhone 8 can be found on our Tutorials section. To view the steps, just visit our iPhone 8 Troubleshooting Page then scroll to the Tutorials section and find the topic.

Note that both these restore procedures will delete all data from your phone and restore the default settings. That said, it’s necessary to create backups beforehand.

Other options

Contact your device carrier or Apple Support to report the problem and request more help in performing more advanced solutions. Otherwise, they may have to develop yet another update containing the required fix patch.

If calling is not an option, then you can head straight to an Apple Genius bar nearby and have your iPhone 8 hardware thoroughly assessed. While the problem started after installing a new iOS update, it doesn’t always denote that the update is to blame. There’s a chance that the symptoms of hardware damage on the iPhone had just coincidentally occurred after the new update was implemented. Don’t forget to avail for warranty, if your device is still eligible.

Connect with us

If you need more help with the use of certain functions and features of the new Apple iPhone 8 smartphone, feel free to visit our Tutorial Page. There you can find a list of how-to contents, step-by-step tutorials, as well as answers to FAQs regarding iPhone 8. If you have other concerns or encountered some troubles while using the phone, you can reach us through this form. Just be sure to tell us more details of the problem or device issue(s) you may have and we will be more than happy to assist you further.

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